We are proud to announce a new international recognition for SoloContigo Winery.

In the prestigious contest, DECANTER WINE AWARDS 2017 (UK), SoloContigo Colección Malbec 2014 received both the Platinum Medal – 95 points and Argentina’s Best Malbec. The Platinum Medal is the most important award presented by the contest.

Within the same contest, our Colección Blend 2014 also obtained the Silver Medal – 92 points. The 2013 vintage of this wine won the Gold Medal – 95 points last year as well.

These are new recognitions among those obtained from other specialized media such as Robert Parker, Wine Enthusiast, and in past editions of the Decanter contest.

In just three years of commercial life, SoloContigo has gained recognition from the most important journalist around the world, and is positioned as one of the leading quality wine producers in Argentina.

SoloContigo began as a personal project of Terry and Noel Neelands from Toronto, Canada in 2008.

The winery and vineyards of SoloContigo are located in Los Chacayes, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, at the foot of the Andes Mountains, at a height of 1,300 meters above sea level.

The winery has a production capacity of 500,000 liters, through its stainless-steel tanks, concrete vats, 7,000 liter oak tonels, and 225 liter French oak barrels.

SoloContigo Winery officially opened it’s doors on October 29, 2016. Owners, Terry and Noel Neelands, welcomed each of the 300 guests that arrived from across Argentina, Canada, and the United States, to celebrate a vibrant evening dedicated to wine, art, and music.

The spectacular Uco Valley setting, along with the contemporary architecture of the winery, designed by the renowned architects at Bormida & Yanzon, provided guests with the ideal indoor and outdoor backdrop to enjoy SoloContigo wine paired with the delicacies created by chef Natalia Cruz. The winery walls and art gallery featured the colorful and witty artwork of Silvina Benguria, one of Buenos Aires’ most appreciated modern artists. The outdoor lounge-like space invited guests to either relax and enjoy a night under the starry Uco Valley sky or hit the dance floor and enjoy the retro dance beats from Spaghetti Western and DJ Manuel Dabul.

The evening gave guests a preview of what SoloContigo hopes to bring to world of wine. Check it out for yourself!

SoloContigo’s construction project team put their final touches on the new winery in the Uco Valley, Argentina, this month. A sneak peak at the final design and experiential flow amplifies the anticipation of the winery opening in May 2016.

The winery showcases the architecture and design expertise of the local group, Bormida and Yanzon Architects, known for their ability to design contemporary buildings that tie into the natural landscape. Owners, Noel and Terry Neelands worked closely with the team throughout the project’s lifecycle to incorporate their passion for wine, art and design into the final product.

The contrast between the rugged Andean landscape, visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows that surround the tourism area, and the bright-colored, yet warm and inviting furniture of the tasting room, invites the senses to indulge. The provocative artwork from the gallery combined with the retro, blues, or jazz music playing over the surround sound system also sets the stage for what is sure to be a wine tasting experience unlike any other.

SoloContigo seeks to invite visitors to stay a while and experience the remote surroundings. Guests may also choose to taste wine in one of the outdoor cabanas or patio spaces. The uninterrupted views of the Andes mountains, landscaped gardens, and malbec vineyards surrounding the property inspire tranquility and relaxation. For a more elegant tasting, take a trip downstairs to the romantically-lit, underground cave that not only houses the barreled wine, but also the glass enclosed tasting area, complete with a long hand crafted wood tasting table and ornate, low-hanging chandelier.

The SoloContigo winery team successfully completed its inaugural harvest in the newly constructed production nave in the Uco Valley. The new nave contains three different types of tanks: cement, stainless steel, and oak. Each style of tank will uniquely modify and advance the profiles of Solo Contigo’s 2015 vintage throughout the year.

Once again, SoloContigo harvested grapes from the company’s estate vineyards as well as the famous sub-region of AltaMira within the Uco Valley, two premium and super premium growing regions located at higher altitudes of 2800 ft (850m) – 3600 ft (1200m) at the base of the Andes Mountains. The high daytime temperatures and low nighttime temperatures paired with the unique soil makeup of the region (clay and rock based with a stony and sandy surface) directly affects the stress and yields on the grapes during the growing season.

The region experienced abnormal rainfall late in the season, which immediately challenged German and the team. The first bins of Malbec grapes touched the new sorting table the second week of March and continued to be sorted, de-stemmed, and crushed through late April, with the juice being gravity fed into one of the three different types of tanks. Unlike traditional winemaking, there is no use of pumps or mechanical force applied during the initial stages of the winemaking process, which enables the wine to extract color, flavor and tannin.

German collaborated with the harvest helpers to harvest super premium Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and premium Malbec. By the third week of April, the team began pressing the first batch to begin primary fermentation. By May, the winery held 76,925 liters of fresh juice, which will continue to ferment and age in the new winery in the months to come. The SoloContigo team looks forward to sharing the next vintage only with you!

As the year comes to close, the SoloContigo team looks back to note some exciting milestones since breaking ground on a new winery in the Uco Valley on October 1st, 2014. The collaboration between Mendoza’s esteemed Bórmida and Yanzon architects and designers, Creative PMO project managers, and head winemaker, German Paez, facilitates Terry and Noel Neelands’ vision to a progressive reality.

VISION

The lead architect, Eliana Bórmida, defines the architectural concept of SoloContigo’s new winery in reference to four main premises:

Landscape – To achieve a full integration with the Andean nature, it’s climate and surrounding vineyards.

Experiential flow between interior and outdoor spaces – To connect wine, art, and leisure for optimal enjoyment of visitors through different mediums.

Design – To express a unique identity connected to the vision of Terry and Noel Neelands.

PROGRESS

The project kick-off meeting in November 2014 brought the SoloContigo project team leadership to the construction site to discuss design and construction evolvement, schedule expectations, and production capacity details. A follow-up Phase II team meeting will be held in January to discuss ongoing progress. The team meets every week on site and at Mendoza offices to monitor and control the project. Project manager, Mauricio Garay, provides notable facts and schedule expectations for the winery’s construction:

The winery is expected to start production in March 2015, with the total capacity amounting to 100,000 liters. At the moment, the fermentation tanks, which are made out of stainless steel, wood, and concrete, as well as French oak barrels, are on their way to the Uco Valley thanks to German Paez’s collaboration. The construction team works to complete the ceiling placement on the first cava this week, which will give us the space necessary to start setting up for 2015 harvest and production.

SoloContigo’s project team anticipates an exciting year ahead with completion set for December 2015. Stay tuned for more updates as SoloContigo moves into Phase II!

The SoloContigo wine team had a fantastic week during Art Basel 2014. Our sponsorship of the SoHo Beach House Art Basel tent was a great success with SoloContigo Torrontes being one of only two white wines available by the glass for celebrities and their guests throughout the week. The final evening at the Soho Beach tent featured Win Butler from Arcade Fire spinning electronic music in collaboration with live bongo players.

We also sponsored an Art + Vision with Cirle at the historic Moore Building in the Design District, which was attended by 85 VIP Art Basel visitors. Guests sipped exclusively on SoloContigo Premium Malbec and Torrontes.

We look forward to growing from our experience at Art Basel to continue supporting the efforts of the artists and galleries that contribute to the diverse and ever-changing international art community!

When Soho House hotel members head to their favourite retreat in any of five North American cities, a glass of SoloContigo Wine will be there to welcome them.

By-the-glass and by-the-bottle pours of select SoloContigo wines at Soho House dining rooms and bars across the continent are giving a coast-to-coast profile to the brand. The wines will soon be offered at Soho House hotel clubs in five cities. These include Soho Beach House in Miami, Soho House New York, Soho House West Hollywood, Soho House Toronto and the soon to be opened Soho House Chicago.

In April, the company answered the call for a premium wine partner at a Soho House event during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California. Coachella, the indie music happening of the year, showcased SoloContigo Sauvignon Blanc and Torrents.

Each House is slightly different depending on its location, but all offer comfortable accommodations, dining and lounges to like-minded, creative people. “We are very pleased that Soho House members will be enjoying our wines,” said Ladas.

The Soho House agreement builds on SoloContigo’s growing national distribution strategy, says Chris Ladas, National Sales and Marketing Director for SoloContigo. The wine company also has an agreement in place with STK Steakhouse Restaurants across the U.S., which is set to start in July 2014.

The gourmet fare of award-winning chef Jamie DeRosa found new wine pairings onboard the yacht SoloContigo in April, at a special event hosted by SoloContigo Wine. Digest Miami introduced the first edition of its Tastemakers Dinner Series aboard the vessel, in celebration of the one-year anniversary of Tongue & Cheek restaurant, where DeRosa is both owner and head chef.

The Tastemakers Dinner series is an invite-only event bringing together key influencers in business, culinary, philanthropic and social circles for a monthly cocktail reception and dining experience. Each dinner is hosted at a secret location that is only revealed 24 hours prior to the event.

Chef DeRosa conjured a menu of five courses, which were paired with a selection of Solo Contigo wines. For instance, the entree was a tender short rib, accompanied by couscous, house-made cucumber yoghurt and harissa. It was paired with SoloContigo’s French oak-aged Colección Malbec 2010, which has a 90-point rating by Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate.

“It was beyond successful,” said national sales and marketing director Chris Ladas, reflecting on how well the meal was received, and how guests lingered through the warm evening on the SoloContigo yacht. They stayed to share stories with Noel and Terry Neelands, owners of the vessel and of SoloContigo Wine. SoloContigo produces a selection of premium wines in Argentina.

The four vintages — the Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Chardonnay 2012, Reserva 2010 and Premium Malbec 2011 — were part of the inventory that SoloContigo showcased to wholesale buyers at the show.

A record number of suppliers, service providers and wholesalers came to the WSWA exposition and conference, April 8 to 10 at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. There were, for instance, 60 to 70 Malbecs from Argentina alone. The WSWA is the national trade association representing the wholesale tier of the wine and spirits industry in the U.S., with member firms totalling 80% of the wine/spirits market in the country.

The four SoloContigo wines earned their honours at the show’s Wine & Spirits Tasting Competition. Judging for the competition was managed by The Tasting Panel magazine, one of the most widely circulated trade publications in the beverage industry.

“It was a great show, we made a lot of contacts, and we’re moving the brand across the country,” said Chris Ladas, national sales and marketing director for SoloContigo.